Boys, 12 and 14, charged over crime spree

TWO boys, aged 12 and 14, have been charged with intimidation, assault and other offences after a two-day crime spree in a northwestern NSW town which started with a Molotov cocktail being thrown in front of a house.

Police were called to the house in Walgett on Thursday night after the boys allegedly threw the Molotov cocktail, but the pair fled.

The following afternoon police were called again to the home after the two boys allegedly threw rocks at the house and a 19-year-old man, hitting him a number of times and allegedly threatening him with a knife.

Police found the older boy and he allegedly threatened police with a knife and iron bar before running into a nearby home.

Both boys were arrested at the home, where police allegedly found equipment believed to have been used in break ins.

The 14-year-old was charged with possess/use prohibited weapon, custody of knife in public place, stalk/intimidate, intimidate officer, assault and assault officer in execution of duty.

The 12-year-old boy was charged with common assault, stalk/intimidate and possess housebreaking implements.

Both were granted conditional bail to appear at children's court on March 13.

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Sink hole swallows soldier's grave in UK

WORK is to begin next week on filling a sink hole that has appeared in a British military cemetery, swallowing the grave of a soldier called Private Ryan.

The grave in the Pembroke Dock war cemetery, Wales' only military graveyard, collapsed into a six metre-hole after a prolonged spell of heavy rain caused the limestone layer beneath Pte Ryan's coffin to shift.

Military chiefs are now working to prevent the headstone collapsing into the pit. Five other graves are also thought to be at risk of falling into the cavern.

The soldier, Private Francis Ryan, of the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, King's (Liverpool Regiment), was born in Longford in Ireland in 1875 and died in 1915, aged 40.

The Ministry of Defence has been unable to trace any living relatives of the deceased serviceman, whose name echoes the title of Tom Hanks' Second World War film.

The MoD says it has no plans to exhume the grave but instead intends to fill the hole to prevent it growing.

"Work to fill the sink hole will begin next week and will be completed by the end of March. The chosen option does not involve exhumation," a spokesman said.

Currently the hole is covered with just a protective metal grille to deter tomb raiders.

The west Wales graveyard will host events to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War in August.

The cemetery is the final resting place for 23 Commonwealth servicemen killed during the First World War and 51 who died during the Second World War.

The affected section has been cordoned off to the public while work to make the graves safe continues.

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Man drags boy from Melbourne playground

POLICE are searching for a man who dragged a six-year-old boy from a playground in Melbourne's southeast before letting him go.

The boy was in the playground on Dempster Way in Narre Warren when he was approached by an unknown man about 5pm on Saturday, police say.

"The man grabbed the boy by the arm and dragged him approximately 50 metres towards Melzak Way," police said in a statement.

He let go of the child when another adult approached him and then left the area with a young girl, believed to be known to him, police say.

The man was described as being of Indian sub-continental appearance and was wearing a black shirt, red shorts with a white emblem on the sides and glasses.

The boy wasn't injured and police are treating it as an isolated incident.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 00.

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Berkshire Hathaway's 4Q profit up 10%

WARREN Buffett's company says fourth-quarter earnings rose 10 per cent to nearly $US5 billion ($A5.60 billion) as its insurance, rail and energy businesses generated major profit gains.

Berkshire Hathaway's insurance companies, which include Geico and General Reinsurance, reported a $US394 million operating profit for the final quarter of 2013, compared with a $US19 million loss a year earlier.

The Omaha, Nebraska, company also benefited from a surge in pre-tax earnings at its "Powerhouse Five," a group of non-insurance companies that include Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway and electric utility MidAmerican Energy.

Net income rose to $US4.99 billion on revenue of $US47.05 billion from $US4.55 billion on revenue of $US44.72 billion in 2012.

Operating earnings, which exclude investments and derivatives, grew to $US3.78 billion, or $US2,297 per Class A share.

The three analysts surveyed by FactSet expected operating earnings of $US2,495.42 per Class A share.

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